Obituaries for week of March 21, 2010

Herbert “Bill” William Bryan, 79, of Albany died Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at his residence. A visitation was held Saturday at Kimbrell-Stern with a memorial service following in the Chapel. The Rev. Ronny Kinsaul officiated.

A native and lifelong resident of Albany, Mr. Bryan worked with Southeastern Fertilizer, Driskell Machine Shop, and Bob’s Candy, before going back to Driskell Machine Shop. He was of the Baptist faith. He loved woodworking, watching birds and squirrels, being with his family and cooking Brunswick stew. He was also a member of the Moose Lodge.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Ruby Driskell Bryan, and his sisters, Ruby Leverne Bryan and Mabel Bryan Edens.

Memorials may be made to Albany Community Hospice, P.O. Box 1828, Albany, GA 31702; or to Sowega Council on Aging, 1105 Palmyra Road, Albany, GA 31701. A guestbook is available at kimbrellstern.com.

Myra Lucille Deese

The funeral service of Myra Lucille Deese, 89, of Milledgeville, Ga., formerly of Albany, who died Thursday, March 18, 2010, at Chaplinwood Health & Rehabilitation, was conducted Saturday at Mathews Funeral Home. The Rev. Bobby Moye officiated. Interment followed in Floral Memory Gardens Cemetery.

A native of Webster, County, Ga., Mrs. Deese had resided in Albany most of her life before moving to Milledgeville in 2003. She was a homemaker and was of the Baptist faith. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar George Deese.
Survivors include three daughters, Peggy Musgrove of Sparta, Ga., Sandra Thaxton of Sylvester, Ga., and Monica L. Bishop of Gray, Tenn.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Emma Cravey Golden, 83, of 104 Catfish Drive, Cordele, died Thursday, March 18, 2010 in Newnan. The funeral service was Saturday at Kimbrell-Stern Funeral Directors with Rev. Rick Hamilton officiating. Internment was in Crown Hill Cemetery.

A native of Sycamore, Ga., Mrs. Golden had lived in Crisp County for the past 35 years and was of the Methodist faith. Mrs. Golden was a retired bookkeeper with MacGregor Golf. The loves of her life were first that of her husband and family followed by traveling, camping, cooking, sewing, creating crafts, and raking her yard. She was a member of the Garden Club and the Albany Women’s Club, and in 1985, Mrs. Golden was the Women’s Club’s “Mother of the Year”.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Silas Elsie and Emma Ross Cravey, her husband Johnnie Randolph Golden; her sisters: Marteele Brown, Joyce Dawson and Betty Merle Tomlinson.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wesley Woods, 2280 Hwy. 29 N., Newnan, GA 30265. A guestbook is at www.kimbrellstern.com.

Patricia Chandler Hannah

Patricia Chandler Hannah, 80, died Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at Phoebe Putney Hospital following a short illness. Her life was celebrated by family and friends at First Presbyterian Church on Saturday followed by burial at Crown Hill Cemetery in Albany with the Rev. Walter Flint officiating.

Mrs. Hannah attended Shorter College and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked in communications with WGPC radio station in Albany and later was a dedicated educator and librarian at Lake Park Elementary School. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, where she served as the church librarian and was a member of the Junior League of Albany.

She was born in Marietta, Ga., on Aug. 2, 1929, and had been a resident of Albany since 1932. Mrs. Hannah was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and supportive wife. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, William T. Hannah, and her parents, Talbot B. and Frances Chandler, also of Albany.

She is survived by her three daughters, Jessica Elmore and her husband Ed of Covington, Ga., Fran Clayton and her husband David of Albany, and Carrie Olliff and her husband Dwight of Hilton Head, S.C.; her grandchildren, Chandler Elmore of Covington, Ga., Clay Elmore of Chattanooga, Tenn., Erin Ruchalski and her husband Chris of Savannah, Ga., Will Clayton of Jackson, Tenn., Haley Clayton of Savannah, Ga., and Ethan and Ben Olliff of Hilton Head, S.C.; her great-grandchildren, Clayton and Molly Frances Ruchalski of Savannah, Ga.; and her loyal caregivers, Linda Marcus, Shamekia Shingles and Annie Sims.

Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 220 N. Jackson St., Albany, GA 31701; or to a favorite charity. A guestbook is available at kimbrellstern.com

Edna Hutchins Hodge

Edna Hutchins Hodge died Thursday March 18, 2010 at her residence. Her funeral service is at 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church with interment in Crown Hill Cemetery with Dr. William “Butch” Knight officiating. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church of Albany.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mrs. Hodge lived most of her life in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., before moving here in 1978 to be close to her grandchildren. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Albany and loved being in the outdoors and working in her yard.

Memorials may be made to Focus on the Family, (street address not required), Colorado Springs, CO 80995. An online guestbook is at www.kimbrellstern.com.

Ted Robert Sikora

Ted Robert Sikora, 87, died peacefully at home on March 19, 2010.
He was born in Gary, Indiana, and was the son of John Frances Sikora and Mary Martisovic Sikora. He attended Valparaiso University. After serving in World War II, he went back to Gary to run the family business and began Towne Agency, which he owned until he moved to Albany in1998.
He was a member of St. Teresa’s Catholic Church and the American Legion. He was active in civic and community affairs.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anne Louise Bahun, his sons
Ted Sikora and his wife, Pat, of Superior, Colo., Jeff Sikora and his wife, Judi, of Albany, and one daughter Pam Donlon and her husband, Vincent, of Virginia Beach Va. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Kimbrell-Stern Funeral Home on Monday at 10 a.m. Rev. Finbarr Stanton will officiate. The family will receive guests after the service at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made Albany Community Hospice, P.O. Box 1828, Albany, GA 31702, and First Tee, 110 W. Mercer Av., Albany, GA 31701. A guestbook is at www.kimbrellstern.com.

Jessie C. Simpson

Jessie C. Simpson, 83, of Canterbury Court in Albany, died March 17, 2010, at Palmyra Medical Center. Funeral services will be held Monday at Kimbrell-Stern with the Rev. Richard Parker officiating. Interment followed in Floral Memory Gardens Cemetery.
A native of Carroll County, Ga., Mrs. Simpson lived most of her life in Albany, where she was a member of East Albany Baptist Church and was a retired nurse assistant with Dr. Sims’ office. Mrs. Simpson will always be remembered for the love she gave as a mother and friend.
Mrs. Simpson was preceded in death by her husband, Charles W. Simpson, who died in 1998; a son, Dwain Simpson; three brothers and one sister.
Survivors include her sons, David and Darryl Simpson, both of Albany; daughters, Jacquelyn McDonald of Michigan and Wanda Lee Tebbetts of Warwick; one grandchild; three great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mildred Evelyn Dearing of LaGrange, Ga., and Sarah Drew of Temple, Ga.; and a special friend, Gay Burriss of Albany.
A guestbook is available at kimbrellstern.com.

Walter Frank Stoudenmire

Walter Frank Stoudenmire, 86, of 2518 Whispering Pines Road, Albany, died March 17, 2010 at his residence. Funeral services were conducted Friday at Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Nancy Scarbrough and the Rev. William Collins officiating. Interment followed in Crown Hill Cemetery.

A native of Camilla, born to the late John Franklin and Berta Lee Stoudenmire, he lived in Albany for 60 years and was a World War II U.S. Army veteran who served in the European theater. Mr. Stoudenmire was formerly employed as a sales representative with Albany Hardware Company and retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1980 after 25 years of service. Mr. Stoudenmire was a member of Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, The American Legion Post 2010 in Camilla and the 137th Ordnance Association and was a lifetime member of the VFW Post 2785.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Eva B. Stoudenmire; a daughter, Debbie Sledge and her husband Ronnie; and a son, Phillip Stoudenmire and his wife Cary, all of Albany; a sister, Evelyn Roth and a brother, Julian Stoudenmire and his wife Faye, all of Camilla, Ga.; four grandchildren, Krista Robitz and her husband Jason of Leesburg, Ga., and Laura Griffin and her husband Wesley, Charlie Stoudenmire and Butler Stoudenmire, all of Albany; five great-grandchildren, Bo, Ema, Grace, Reynolds and Lyla; and several nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 323 Pine Ave., Albany, GA, 31701; or to Albany Community Hospice, 2332 Lake Park Drive, Albany, GA 31707. A guestbook is available at mathewsfuneralhome.com.

About the author

Tom Knighton is the publisher of The Albany Journal. In November, 2011, he became the first blogger to take over a newspaper anywhere in the world. In August of 2012, he made the difficult decision to take the Journal out of print circulation and become an online news agency, a first for the Albany area.